Former Northwestern players hire Chicago’s Ben Crump in hazing case

“Whether or not Northwestern coaches approved or participated in the harassment of these players, they are responsible for allowing a toxic, disgusting, and destructive culture into their programs,” Crump said in a statement. “Unfortunately, our research suggests that this type of abuse of student-athletes may be more common on college campuses than we know, because there is tremendous pressure to remain silent. It’s time to value protecting young athletes.”

In a press release, Levin & Perconti said it expects more former Northwestern players to join the legal action, which will likely expand with other college programs. In 2021, Crump filed a federal lawsuit against the state of Ohio on behalf of victims who alleged they were sexually assaulted by former university physician Richard Strauss.

In a July 10 letter announcing Fitzgerald’s firing, Northwestern President Michael Schell wrote that incidents of hazing included “forced sharing, nudity, and sexual acts of a degrading nature, in clear violation of Northwestern’s policies and values.” The former player who first reported the alleged harassment to Northwestern detailed several incidents, including “running,” in which older players keep younger players in a darkened locker room and engage in sexual acts while wearing masks. The former player sent ESPN a screenshot of a whiteboard he said was displayed in Northwestern’s locker room that listed potential hazing activities called the “naked slingshot,” “naked bear crawl,” and “naked exchanges for the quarterback.”

Northwestern’s investigation found no evidence of misconduct by specific players or coaches. No players were officially disciplined by the school, which retained all assistant coaches and support staff for the 2023 season under interim head coach David Brown, who was hired in January as defensive coordinator. Fitzgerald, in a statement after his dismissal, reiterated that he had no knowledge of hazing activities. After being expelled for some reason, Fitzgerald hires attorney Dan Webb for a potential wrongful termination suit against the school.

“For many players, their exposure to this abusive culture began when they were recruited at the age of 16 or 17, they were just kids at the time,” Margaret Battersby Black, managing partner at Levine & Perconti, said in a statement. . “The school and football coaches urged parents to send their children to Northwestern because they were falsely assured that the university and coaching staff would look out for and protect them. Unfortunately, that was not the case.”